Had a real hard time with the two crux pitches (5A & 5C) near the summit. The help of our guide Eric was essential for my eventual success in surmounting those spots. The view of the mountain peaks all around us at the summit was unforgettable. Highly recommended rock climb!

Climbed the route with Philippe Gerschel, starting at 5:30 AM from the Couvercle Hut. We got a bit off route on the climb up to the ridge and lost some time, but otherwise no problems. We found the climbing on the ridge itself strenuous and awkward, especially the crux dihedral/chimney. The chimney was too small for me (or possibly I was too fat for the chimney), especially with the backpack. I finally managed it by taking off the pack and trailing it on a sling, along with a lot of cursing. The descent was fairly slow and tedious. We finished with 2 rappels, including one to cross the bergschrund and returned to the hut for dinner.

My group of four spit into two separate roped parties for this ascent as it involves some delicate rock climbing: it is much quicker to work as a two man team. There were three other groups on the climb which made it a little crowded at the start. I left some protection and aids in place for the second rope who were right behing me inorder to speed them up on the tricky bits.

The descent is not a tricky as people say, but on a hot day it can be tiring. We moved together all the way down axcept for three abseils, it is worth practising untying from the rope and setting up abseils quickly so that you don't waste time.